EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES

​The team went into today's testing session hoping to put the frustrations of last week's outing behind them. Everything was looking good for a nice clean set of runs. The track was very open due to a late change in scheduling so Dan was going to have the circuit all to himself.

Stewards assigned kart 18 for the recon laps. This machine is know for its consistency and top speed, so the team were looking forward to feeling out the track with a known quantity. The track surface had just been cleaned, and the team were the vary first out on it for the day, so to say it was virgin is an understatement. There was absolutely zero rubber on track. Dan reported over the radio that it was like driving on glass, and that he had never felt the circuit so slippery. Nevertheless, he was able to get in several decent laps towards the end of the run due to the kart being consistent and predictable, allowing him to come to grips with it about 7 laps in. At the end of the session, he had clocked a best time of 35.718.

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​Unfortunately, that was right about where the team's luck ran out today. Planning on trying to do a solid race simulation on the second run, the team requested the kart they had discovered last week, number 9, wanting to explore it a bit more.

So, Grabko went out focused and ready to put in a good performance. During the first hot lap, however, he discovered to his dismay that he had developed several technical issues. Tire rub developed on the front left tire during turn-in on right-handed corners, and since the circuit is clockwise, this presented a larger problem. Then, into the 5th lap, with nothing achieved in the first stint, the accelerator developed an inconsistent stickiness only in left-handed corners, and only during lift off. This meant that the quick 2nd hairpin in sector 1, turn 3, where the technique is to only lift a second or two, became impossible to execute without tapping or feathering the brakes, ruining momentum.

The chatter back and forth on the radio confirmed the problem, and Dan was adamant about coming in, having been mentally prepared for a run at low 35's for a proper race simulation. However, the team saw an opportunity to gain some data, and had already decided to follow through with the run.

Grabko was shaking his head and waving his arms in frustration as he either limped through turn 3 or tried to take it as normal, resulting in a 4 wheel drift through the corner, both of which did nothing for his mood or lap times.

​The team told him to bear down and focus as best he could, and after several laps he was able to calm down and literally wrestle the kart into a few decent lap times despite all the technical issues plaguing the run. Considering the circumstances, the team thought that the 35.754 best time Grabko still managed to post should be taken as a triumph, rather than a failure.

But, as we all know, racing drivers don't think that way. Fuming as he rolled into that pits as the red flags came out to end the session, he walked straight into the debriefing room with a look of disgust on his face, not saying a word to anyone. The driver that came out after the team talk, however, was more in control of himself, able to talk to the local press.

"Yes, it is extremely disappointing when you have come in to do a thing, and you have mentally prepared yourself in a certain way, and then you are prevented from doing that by issues with the car. But, like I've said before, at this level these kinds of things are unavoidable.

The staff here are great, the karts are good to drive, the circuit is the best indoor track in the region, I have nothing but great things to say about Gokartcentralen. These things happen, it is just so frustrating when they do! Especially as we had been so happy with how (kart) 9 was set up last week, but we weren't able to fully explore it due to traffic, and then this week it was the same but because of technical problems.

On the bright side, we've got one more test session before round 9, so we can try to put this behind us and focus on preparing for the next race!"